The wolf watched it's prey
intently and silently, preparing for the lunge that would bring the kill. The
intended victim was drinking contentedly from a small forest stream, apparently
unaware of impending doom. Just as the wolf coiled to spring, the

slight figure stood and spun
around.

"Nice try, Trax"
Tam patted his leg with one palm. The wolf sighed and padded up to the boy,
accepting the consolation prize of a scratch behind the ears. "It's time
to try the apple for today, big fellow." Tam braced his bow against one
instep and the opposite leg, bending the ash wood to slip the bowstring into
place, then set off through the woods with the big wolf trotting at leisure a
pace or two behind.

Tam had found a wolf puppy
caught in a spring trap three years ago. The puppy was too exhuasted, scared
and hurt to put up a fight as Tam gently pried loose the trap, dressed the
wounded leg and gathered up the little wolf, carrying him back home to

nurse back to health. The
two had been unseparable since, with Trax sleeping at the foot of Tam's bed, or
the boy snuggled up to the wolf's back for warmth on one of many nights spent
out in the forest. The tiny pup had grown into a massive animal

whose head came up to Tam's
chest. Some of the village bullies who had tormented Tam as a small boy
now...left him quite

alone.

Tam practically lived in the
forest, spending all his time there aside from doing chores or reading by the
fire on winter nights. The pair now came to one of their frequent haunts, which
Tam had named apple clearing. This meadow in the middle of the forest had a
gigantic old apple tree at one end. From the top branch of this tree, about 25
feet off of the ground, hung an apple, which was nowthe size of a blacksmith’s fist and getting to be quite ripe in
the early autumn. Tam had been shooting an arrow at this apple all summer, once
a day from a distance of 60 yards and had not yet knocked it down, although it
had a scar or two from near misses. Tam allowed himself only one try per day, otherwise
practicing on straw targets. He knelt and selected an old, dry leaf from the
forest floor at

the clearing's edge,
crumpled it in one hand and threw it in the air, watching which way the
fragments drifted on their way to the ground. He then knocked an arrow to the
string, drew the bow and sighted above and a bit to the left of the apple,
which appeared as a mere speck in the air. Breathing steadily, Tam relaxed his
three draw fingers and let the arrow fly. The arrow, powered by the 75 pound
draw weight of the bow sped in a flat arc and pierced the apple dead center.
The force of the hit plucked the apple from the tree.The added weight of the apple sped the descent of the arrow,
causing it to fall in clear view 30 yards from the base of the tree.

"Well Trax, what do you know? Today must
be my day" The wolf sat panting in the warm autumn sun, suitably
unimpressed.

Tam jogged over to the apple
tree, patted the trunk, and went to fetch the arrow.The apple was pierced dead center and equal parts of the arrow
stuck out fore and aft. "I'll take this home and dry the apple in front of
the fire; quite a keepsake!" thought Tam as he gingerly carried his trophy
and set off for

home.

Tam cleared the forest just
as his uncle was ringing the supper bell.

“Ah, there you are, my boy!Supper’s on.And we’ve
got a certain visitor.One that came
looking for you.”

“For me? Whatever
for?” Tam asked lightly, already knowing. His fifteenth birthday had been a few
weeks before.He knew of the King’s
decree and had been expecting this day.A few of his closest friends had gone the year before.If these facts and his uncle’s clue had not
given away who the visitor was, the forced cheerfulness in his Uncle’s voice
that hid the underlying sorrow surely didAlthough he was very happy in the woods and would miss his aunt and
uncle, he was eager to prove himself, and the lure of adventure and the
unknown. filled his head with all sorts of foolishness.He was all excitement, with the tiniest drop
of dread.

Walter draped a massive arm around the boy’s shoulder as
they walked toward the house.“Well, I
guess it doesn’t take a mage to figure out this puzzle.But right now, my stomach’s doing all the
thinking.”

Twilight was beginning throwing shadows across the yard as
they came up to the back door.As they
went inside, Tam noticed a weary looking yet dignified older man sitting at the
dinner table.Aunt Cira had given him a
generous mug of hard cider to cut the dust of the road.Uncle Cedric, holding his cap somewhat
nervously in both hands, half bowed toward the old gent and addressed Tam:

“Tam, this good knight has come all the way from
Issnalirrandil to bring you a message.One of some importance, I believe.Good sir, may I introduce my nephew, Tam.Er, his full name is Tamarith Ilsyn Varsele.”

In
response, the elderly knigh arose in an unfolding of stick-like arms and
legs.This manouever put Tam in mind of
a marionette designed by a spider.The
man elaborately straightened his mustache, drew himself up to an even spindlier
height, produced a small scroll from his satchel, and addressed the boy:

“Master Tamarith Ilsyn Varsele; I am Heironymous
Bartholomew Ignatius Reginald Twig (Tam choked back a laugh at the ironic
appropriateness of the surname), Minister and Executor of Majority to His
Majesty the King.I bring you a message
of great import and honor.Having
reached the age of majority, that being fifteen years, you are hereby charged
by His Graciousness, King Tendar, to report in person at the royal court, no later
than ten days hence, to receive your preliminary evaluation and appointment to
serve at His Majesty’s pleasure for a period of no less than two years.”He handed Tam the small scroll, and saluted
the boy, strongly resembling a martial scarecrow.“I welcome you to His Majesty’s service and bid you to treat the
appointment with the gravity such an honor merits”Then, a bow.

Flustered by the elaborate verbiage, and excited by the
sudden reality of waited for event, Tam could only stammer “Th…Thank you sir. I
shall do my best, sir.” With a clumsy bow in return.Aunt Celia, who had been watching this impromptu ceremony with a
mix of joy, pride and sorrow, let the latter emotion overtake her, and suddenly
rushed off to the kitchen, very very busy with the final preparations for
supper. So busy that she had to pause several times to dab off the sweat that
streamed into her eyes.

Dinner passed in a pleasant, although subdued manner.Cedric engaged Heironymus in a discussion
about the travel conditions on the royal roads. Tam said little, absorbed in
thoughts about what was to come in the weeks ahead.After dinner, Cedric offered their visitory hospitality for the
night. Heironymus respectfully declined.

“I thank you sir, but as it is still early in the evening,
with a full moon, I have a few miles to travel to deliver one more decree in
the next hamlet, then I shall stay at a royal waystation a short distance yet
from there.I thank you for your
gracious hospitality, and wish you all the best.With a final bow, Hieronymous took his leave.

Tam made a special point of helping Celia clear the table
that evening.At one point, as they
both went to clear the same dish, Tam took his aunt’s hand and squeezed
gently.Celia blinked once,smiled
wistfully and squeezed back somewhat harder, then hustled into the kitchen to
set a pot of water to boil for hot chocolate.

When the after
supper chores were complete, Cedric threw a final log on the fire, and pulled two chairs over in front of the
blaze.He addressed Tam:

Well, my good boy, have a seat.Since you’re embarking on this journey to manhood, I have
something to give you.Something I
believe your father wanted you to have.

Tam gulped and nodded.The death of his father and mother had hit Cedric hardest of all the
family.This was the first time that
Tam had heard his Uncle speak of his brother.He watched with keen curiosity as his uncle disappeared into an adjoining
room.By listening to the emerging
sounds, Tam could hear the opening of a chest that had been locked for as long
as he could remember.He caught his
breath as Cedric returned to the living room, holding a plain looking sword
sheathed in a simple wooden and leather scabbard.His uncle pulled the blade out a short way and pressed his thumb
against the blade

“Hmm” he held up his thumb with a drop of blood from a
slight cut “kept more of an edge than I remembered.Now, if you show up for training
without a weapon, one would be made for you.But I’ll bet my workbench and all my tools that none would be more
finely crafted than this one here.Your
father did his service in a time when one of the finest blade crafters in
recent history was in residence, training the King’s blacksmiths.By a stroke of luck, your father’s blade was
hammered out by the master himself.Have a care with this.Weapons
deserve respect, and this one is a work of art, to boot.”He handed the blade to an awestruck Tam.
Carefully drawing the blade the rest of the way out of the scabbard, he
examined the old weapon.The firelight
dancing on the unadorned polished blade made it seem as if it were glowing
hot.It was so plainly designed that it
seemed almost cheap to look at, until it was held, then its balance and solid
construction told a tale of supreme craftmanship.A small letter q stamped directly above the tang was the mark of
Querlock, greatest weapons maker of recent history.

For the second time that night, Tam was at a loss for words
“Thank you uncle” was all he could stammer out.

Himself a bit at a loss for words, Cedric clapped him on the shoulder. “I can see we’ll spend at
least part of this week on some basic fencing lessons, so you’re not a danger
to yourself as well as others! Ho ho.”Tam quickly resheathed the sword, smiling at his Uncle’s well
intentioned teasing.“Now Tam, there’s
one other matter we’ll have to discuss, one not so happy.” He looked at Trax,
who was by the fire, head resting on front paws; motionless except for yellow
eyes watching all the action.

Tam had a sinking suspicion “What are you talking about?”

“Trax..he, he won’t be able to come with you.I’m sorry Tam.”Tam got up a paced tensely around the room

“I…but..he’s…”more
pacing, as he tried to get his initial anger under control.He stopped, leaning against the hearth and
pressed his fingers into his temples.“Alright.What’s the
reason?”Cedric heaved a mighty sigh.

“There’s a strict ban on any kind of pets or livestock
during initial training.I interrogated
Heironymus thoroughly: no exceptions.Apparently some years back, a girl smuggled in her beloved pet
rooster.Well, the change in routine
upset the bird’s equilibrium, causing him to crow from midnight until
dawn.Meanwhile, she had the mouthy
fowl quite well concealed, and being terrified of his being slaughtered, let on
to no one.So nobody got a wink of good
sleep the whole training period.The
master of service was so disgusted that he decreed an absolute ban on any
animals of any sort, under pain of three months in jail!Apparently, the worst damage was done when
the sergeant at arms, being startled awake at the stroke midnight by the
rooster’s crowran out to the
courtyard, shouting the alarm.The
entire city guard sprang to action, pouring into the courtyard, torches ablaze
and swords drawn to find the sergeant at arms, in nightgown and cap,
brandishing a broadsword in one hand, and a teddy bear in the other!Among the cadets that streamed out to
investigate the ruckus, the few that were unable to stifle their laughter found
themselves assigned to the most unenviable duties for the rest of the training
period, that’s for sure.”Cedric was
careful to draw out this story long enough to allow Tam to check his emotions
and regroup himself.

Tam
smiled, and chuckled a little at the story in spite of his distress at having
to leave Trax behind.He then fell
silent, sitting crosslegged on the floor, absently scratching the wolf’s
haunches and staring at the dancing embers of the fire.Celia joined them with 3 mugs of steaming
cider, and a bowl of hot milk for Trax.The wolf feigned indifference at the treat, but when the woman had
turned away, he slurped it up readily enough.For a while, they sipped in companiable silence.Tam eventually came out of his reverie, with
a heavy sigh:

“Well,
I suppose one can’t gainsay a teddy-bear wielding sergeant at arms.A year seems like a long time…may I at
least stay out in the forest with Trax these last few nights?Celia drew her shawl around her in a
vicarious chill.

“Now,
Tam these nights are getting awfully…” Cedric cut her off:

“Alright,
Tam, but you make sure to bundle up.”Holding Celia’s hand, he squeezed an apology and an assurance.

The
stayed awake awhile, watching the embers slowly die, stifling yawns and taking
sips.Finally Cedric and Celia arose,
gave Tam hugs that were a little more bearish than on typical nights, and went
off to bed.Tam fetched his warmest
woolen cloak, a blanket , snitched a bit of bedtime snack of leftover beef for
himself and the huge wolf, and tucked his dagger into his belt.After a moments thought, he took up his
father’s sword and belted it, a bit awkwardly, around his waist.At its tightest notch, it was still a little
loose,The boy and wolf then stole into
the forest.A harvest moon that was
just clearing the forest canopy lit their way to Apple Clearing.Tam tromped around on a patch of tall grass
to make an impromptu nest.Trax did his
part by walking in a circle in place.The night air was chill, but not frigid: just enough to make exhalations
visible. Tam laid the blanket on the ground to keep the earth from seeping the
heat from his body and settled down, snuggled up to the wolf, who promptly and
prudently went to sleep.Tam sat up for
a while, watching the moon creep to it’s apex.As his eyelids grew heavy, he drew his hood up to warm his head, and
gradually drifted off.Various dreams
wafted through his slumber: arrow pierced apples, knights in nightshirts
brandishing swords and stuffed toys, a hidden rooster’s crowing that
transformed into the forlorn crying of a wolf pup, lost, alone and cold: crying
so as to break your heart; so piteous that he wept himself awake. Sitting bolt
upright, he found that he had fitfully rolled away from his wolf friend and off
his blanket.Shivering, he snuggled
back up to his lupine friend and threw an arm across the massive furry
body.Trax responded by heaving a
great, groaning, contented sigh and licking the boy’s hand.Tam went back to sleep: troubled no more by
dreams the rest of the night.

Tam’s final week at home passed congenially and all too
quickly.During the days, Cedric
instructed him in the rudiments of fencing: the octave, quarte, feint, thrust,
and parry.After several days training,
Tam could pass for wielding a weapon and not simply waving a poker.In the evenings, Celia fixed the boy’s
favorite dishes in order from somewhat favored to absolute favorite.At night, he was allowed to stay in the
forest with his best friend, even though the he caught a mild sniffle on one of
the chillier nights.

On the final night before departure, the village held a
small feast to send off the cadets of that year.Tam sat at a table with his few, close friends;the lasses Alina, Vandy, Lellja and the lads
Trere and Vis.They chatted excitedly
about the upcoming journey and training.They made plans to travel together, and make a party of the trek.Tam showed his new, yet old, sword to his
friends to murmurs and gasps of appreciation all around: he was the only child
in the village to inherit his weapon.Everyone made a fuss over saying goodbye toTrax, who made a show of
graciously enduring all the fawning and petting, while taking great pains to
conceal his relishment of all the attention.They sang songs until the moon roseand told ghost stories until it changed from dusky gold to argent.All were friends tonight, even the bullies
that Trax had previously held at bay came up to wish Tam and his friends good
luck, and the sentiment was sincerely returned: childhood grudges seemed to
lose their rancor on this night of passage.As a final gesture,Tam invited his friends to Apple Clearing for the
night.They built a cheerful bonfire
and settled down in front of it, growing solemn and sleepy from the warmth of
the blaze.One by one they drifted off,
not one of them staying awake for the magical moment in the wee hours when
girls and boys made the first step toward being men and women.

Despite only a few hours of sleep, Tam arose before all the
others: he had a couple of important goodbyes and a favor to ask. He set off to
a northern part of the woods, the wildest and darkest part.Coming to a small clearing amongst century-old
trees, he approached the hut of Mai Liniafir the Healer.Years ago, on one of the rare occasions that
Tam had gotten lost in the forest,he had stumbled upon the woman’s hut.This woman, while respected by the other
peole in the area for her knowledge of herbs and healing lore, was a loner and
somewhat eccentric although deeply kindhearted.She had been especially kind to a lost boy accompanied by a
gangly half grown pup, both of them putting a brave face on near panic.; encountering
a wild appearing woman in a strange hut in the scariest part of the forest
nearly pushed them over the edge, but Mai’s cheerful greeting calmed them and
they soon became fast friends.In later
days, months and years, Tam visited often, learing about all the herbs and
beneficial plants of the forest.

Now, as Tam and Trax approached the hut, Mai was
characteristically already bustling before the sun rose.A sturdy woman with large, serene gray eyes,
long gray hair and a slightly feral ageless beauty, she greeted the still
sleepy pair cheerfully

“Good morning, my scraggly raggamuffin and his overgrown
pup!”

“Good morning Mai” Tam responded, scratching his head,
trying to get the blood moving.Trax
promptly sat down and thumped his tail on the forest floor. Mai greeted the
wolf by gripping his snout between v-shaped index and middle fingers and shaking
gently, then scratching the spot between his eyes.

“Well, what brings you here at this hour, when the bats are
not yet gone a-bedding?”

“I came to say goodbye; I got my call to service, and the
group from the village is leaving today.”The thrill of adventure and sadness at leaving were still at war in his
expression.“I also came to ask if
you’d help me break the news to Trax, here”Mai’s eyes registered pity for the boy.

“Ah, young fellow, he has to stay behind?I know that will be hard for you.I’ll talk to him and keep him company while
you’re away.”While Mai could not
strictly talk to animals in the usual way, but she did have an unusual rapport
with those who wore the fur and feather.“I’ll make sure you can get on your way with no trouble.Now, I think I have some bread, honeycomb
and milk for our two legged forest creature, and some left-over chicken bones
for the this glorified coyote!” Mai fetched some breakfast,while Tam sat on a
log, his shoulder touching Trax’s.He
murmured to the wolf:

“Well, wolf friend, I won’t be seeing you for awhile, at
least not until Christmas” Trax nuzzled the boy’s shoulder, implying
understanding.“I’ll miss Aunt and
Uncle, but you…”The sadness that the
boy had been able to suppress so far burst to the surface, and he pressed his
forehead into his bent knees, sobbing softly.The wolf, attuned to his friend’s emotions,licked him once and sat in silence.Mai, who had been returning with food, saw what was happening and
discreetly diverted her course for a few minutes.

When Tam had regrouped a bit, Mai came up with a plate of
bread and butter with honey, a cup of fresh milk, and some chicken bones, with
a generous bit of meat left on.As she set the plate down beside the boy she,
squeezed Tam’s shoulder and then busied about some other morning tasks.Trax fell to the bones right away, with some
vigour, while Tam started nibbling the bread mainly to distract himself, but
being hungrier than he realized, started to tuck in more earnestly.